Street Hustler and His Policewoman Wife

Chapter 412: The Thirteenth Set of Footprints, The Seventh Suspect

"The year the Jinguang Tomb incident happened, my father and I were on site."

Wu Liuxian said.

An expression of delight appeared in Chen Xiao’s eyes.

Although many locals and visitors witnessed the Jinguang Tomb case,

what they saw was completely different from what Wu Liuxian and his father saw.

Because expertise makes all the difference!

"From your perspective, was there anything peculiar about the Jinguang Tomb case?"

Chen Xiao asked.

Wu Liuxian was very cooperative with Chen Xiao, sharing everything he knew candidly.

After a moment of recollection, he said:

"My father and I went on the second day. By the time we arrived, the police had already cordoned off the area around the Jinguang Tomb. But everyone has their own methods, so my father, who was very curious, led me around a certain path to get inside."

"We saw the tunnels dug by the tomb robbers, and my father scoffed at their techniques, thinking their skills weren’t all that great."

"At that time, we knew six people had died inside, but we didn’t know how they died. My father initially wanted to take the risk and enter the tunnels to see for himself, but I stopped him."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao couldn’t help but laugh, "Your father was really bold. If he had gone in then, he might have been surrounded by the police."

"Yes, my father had very simple thoughts and trusted the police a lot. He said he was just curious and wanted to see what was inside. Even if he got caught, he hadn’t committed murder or stolen from the tomb, so the police wouldn’t do much to him."

Indeed, that was the case.

Although breaking into the tunnels meant responsibility, he wasn’t a suspect, so no one would have done much to him.

Unless the investigating officer had ill intentions.

"Did you find anything else around the tunnels at that time?"

Wu Liuxian shook his head, "If my father found something, he never told me. But he did circle the area around the Jinguang Tomb for quite a while. Given the time and distance he covered, I think he was trying to figure out how many people had entered Jinguang Mountain at that time."

"Was he looking at footprints?" Chen Xiao asked.

Wu Liuxian was unsure, "I don’t know, but maybe. Every time we stopped, there were footprints. Some were from a single person, others from groups of two or three, and the most in one place was about a dozen pairs, near the tunnel."

"Were you able to confirm exactly how many footprints there were near the tunnel?"

"13 pairs, I think! When my father was staring at them, I counted along."

Chen Xiao frowned instantly.

With memories of his previous life, Chen Xiao could confirm there were six deceased, and there were six suspects eventually caught.

So, there should have been twelve pairs of footprints.

Why were there 13 pairs?

Could it have been a villager from Jinguang Village?

No, there was also someone who abandoned an infant, could it have been him or her?

Chen Xiao fell into contemplation, and after a while, Wu Liuxian couldn’t help but ask:

"Mr. Chen, what are you thinking about?"

Chen Xiao smiled and shook his head, "Nothing, just thinking about the Jinguang Tomb. Do you know anything else?"

Wu Liuxian sighed, "What else could I know? If I’d been able to enter the tunnel back then, I might know more, but alas."

Chen Xiao didn’t ask if they had gone in after the case ended.

Because once the case ended, archaeological work at the Jinguang Tomb began.

The ancient tomb on Jinguang Mountain had long since become an excavated site.

It’s said that in recent years, many have proposed developing the area around Jinguang Mountain into a tourist attraction.

The main feature of the attraction would revolve around the ancient tomb.

But whether due to opposition or lack of interest from authorities, the project has remained stagnant.

As a result, many villagers in Jinguang Village have seen their dreams of making money shattered.

Chen Xiao glanced at Zhang Xiaohu playing in the distance and suddenly thought of something, laughing:

"Xiaohu told me before that you said he was a good seed for learning your skills?"

"That little rascal! What a memory!" Wu Liuxian chuckled wryly and continued,

"I did say that back then, and I still remember him well. Mainly because the kid gives off a clever vibe at first glance. Plus, I tested him a bit, he’s a very resilient little guy!"

"I’ve worked here and have seen countless kids. Many give up on things they themselves want to accomplish because they’re difficult. But only he still hasn’t given up practicing the trick I casually demonstrated back then."

Chen Xiao looked at Xiaohu again and continued chatting with Wu Liuxian for a while.

After a short while, Chen Xiao called Zhang Xiaohu over.

The little rascal was sweating profusely from playing, wiping his sweat as he asked, "Uncle Chen, why don’t you guys spar a bit?"

"Every meaningful trip needs a little regret to make it truly precious." Chen Xiao laughed and said.

Zhang Xiaohu seemed half-understanding, a bit reluctant, and asked, "Are we leaving just like that?"

As soon as the little rascal asked, Wu Liuxian spoke up,

"Mr. Chen, shall I have a chat with this little guy?"

Chen Xiao shook his head, "Sorry, I’m not his father or guardian, so it’s not my place to decide."

"Understood." Wu Liuxian gave up the idea.

Then Chen Xiao stood up, taking Zhang Xiaohu towards the car.

On the way to the car, Zhang Xiaohu pouted and asked,

"Uncle Chen, why won’t you let me chat with Six-fingered Uncle?"

"If he teaches you some skills, would you learn them?"

"I’d love to learn."

"Then between becoming a police officer and becoming a capable person like Uncle Wu, which would you prefer?"

Chen Xiao asked, and after thinking seriously for a moment, Zhang Xiaohu replied, "I think I’d still want to be a police officer because you can catch bad guys!"

"Hmm, that’s it then. When you grow up and become a police officer, you might encounter someone like Uncle Wu. Then you’ll know what kind of abilities Uncle Wu has."

"Oh."

It’s unclear if Zhang Xiaohu understood.

But whether he understood or not, Chen Xiao still didn’t allow Zhang Xiaohu to have a solo interaction with Wu Liuxian.

After all, many times a boy’s dreams are planted because of a unique childhood experience or an encounter with a special person.

Of course, the main thing is that Zhang Xiaohu isn’t his child.

On the way back, Chen Xiao kept thinking about the thirteenth person mentioned by Wu Liuxian, or perhaps the seventh suspect.

He didn’t know how many pairs of footprints the police had collected during the investigation of the Jinguang Tomb case, but Chen Xiao felt that given the conditions and environment of the investigation back then, it’s possible that something was overlooked.

So after Zhang Xiaohu fell asleep again, Chen Xiao called Lin Xi, deciding to reveal the existence of the thirteenth pair of footprints!